Chatbots are becoming increasingly popular as an interesting and interactive medium for the provision of information. In a simple example, a chatbot may replace a text based FAQ (frequently asked questions) facility on a web site. FAQ facilities generally provide a list of frequently asked questions and invite a correspondent to select one of them. Then the correspondent is automatically presented an answer. While this serves the purpose of conveying information, it is dull.
By contrast, a chatbot provides a conversational experience for interaction with correspondents. The correspondent can type a question and the chatbot will attempt to interpret it, and then provide an answer. In the context of the FAQ facility, if the correspondent submits one of the frequently asked questions using words the same as or similar to the question, typically the chatbot will provide the prepared text answer; exactly like the text-based facility but in the context of chat.
Most previous chatbots operate in this way. The answer they present is a simple answer to a known question. If the question is unknown, the chatbot simply offers a list of FAQ, and invites the correspondent to select one. A significant problem with the use of most chatbots is the time it takes to program one. It typically takes months of programming and many hundreds of thousands of dollars for a user to create a workable chatbot.